Society News

France halts stun grenades at school protests after a boy, 15, loses his hand

France's interior minister, Laurent Nuñez, said on Wednesday, October 7, that he had suspended police use of stun grenades at high-school protests after a 15-year-old lost a hand at a demonstration in Lens, northern France, on Monday. The Guardian said he ordered the halt “until we know exactly what happened in this case”, while rejecting accusations of “police repression” as “excessive”.

The protests began in late September over teacher shortages, crowded classes and run-down buildings. The education ministry said classes were wholly or partly suspended in 429 of the country's 3,700 lycées on Wednesday, and 80 university campuses were blockaded. Nuñez said 18 internal police investigations had been opened.

“His life has been stolen.” — the injured boy's mother, to BFMTV, via The Guardian

Al Jazeera said a 14-year-old lost several teeth after being hit by a teargas grenade, and a police officer was charged over that incident. It reported that more than 1,800 people were being prosecuted, including 1,483 minors, and that President Emmanuel Macron had called an emergency meeting. The UAE's Khaleej Times explained what triggered the protests.

How each outlet framed it

• The Guardian — the minister's defence of the police set against the family's anger and rights groups.
• Al Jazeera — the scale of arrests of minors and the government's claim that outsiders hijacked the movement.
• Khaleej Times — the background: teacher shortages, school conditions and clashes.

Where the numbers differ: Nuñez told MPs 761 police officers had been hurt (The Guardian); Al Jazeera, citing the prime minister's office, said 715. Both report 215 injured teenagers. The Guardian put arrests above 6,600, Al Jazeera at 6,100.